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Friday, September 29, 2017

Review: "The Sacking as a Moment of Growth for a Football Manager" by Claudio Rastelli

Photo credit: FC Sudtirol.
Claudio Rastelli.

Synopsis:Claudio Rastelli's UEFA Pro Master's Course thesis focused on a provocative and unique theme: The sacking of professional football managers and its aftermath. The author cited data, obtained direct quotes from sacked managers and provided a concise analysis about a fascinating topic.

Discussion Items:

1. Thesis Overview

2. Writing Style

3. Images and Graphics

4. Link to Italian Source Document

Editor's Note:

This timely article is dedicated to Carlo Ancelotti as a reminder how quickly one's fortunes can change at the highest levels of professional coaching. This review was originally published at The Soccer Translator a few years ago. I will share a reduced version here.

"The Sacking as a Moment of Growth for a Football Manager"
by Claudio Rastelli

1. Thesis Overview: A Rarely Discussed Topic by a Coach

Claudio Rastelli was the manager until 9 November 2014 of FC Sudtirol of the Italian Lega Pro (Third Division) in the bilingual (German and Italian) region of Alto Adige. He is now the Sporting Director at A.C.Trento. Rastelli was born in Rome and came up through the Lodigiani youth ranks. Mister Rastelli played professionally at Perugia, Siena and Venezia, respectively.

This intriguing thesis was 26 pages in length and concisely organized into three parts with nine chapters. What attracted me to this particular document was the unusual, yet common-sense theme, for a professional coach in any sport: The inevitable sack/firing. Rarely do we see this topic discussed in detail let alone in a first-person account. Rastelli also had many interviews with sacked managers which provided a provocative analysis from the other side of the coin.

I will translate a few key quotes from Mister Rastelli's thesis. Let's take a look at the contents.

Mister Rastelli interviewed in October 2014.

Premise

One day, while I was training a football team and going through a tough time, such that the certainties were always more frail and difficulties seemed to be insurmountable mountains. Then a phone call came in, from the sporting director, who explained with displeasure that, "The club has decided to change managers to see if the sporting situation would change." And he coldly communicated to me in that instant I was SACKED.What is a Sack?

To suffer a sack means to be released from something. In the case of a manager, it means being relieved of his duties to manage a team. You are not dealing with a complete dismissal because the sacked manager continues to receive his salary that was stipulated at the time of his initial contract.

A Widespread Phenomenon: A Panorama of the Sackings from the Last Sporting Season (2011/12)

Sackings are not only an Italian phenomenon but perhaps are inherent in the essence of football itself which is understood as a system and not a game. The fact remains that our country (Italy) sacks with much more facility in neighboring realities.

Why does a club decide to sack?

The data reveal it is not proven that changing managers pays off. Indeed, in many cases, the change does not produce improvements. In other cases, it makes things worse forcing clubs to return to their initial choices (cases where they must rehire the first sacked manager). It's also proper to highlight that in certain situations, the change was nailed down properly and the team will be able to change gears.

Analogies and Differences with the World of Work

Managing, just like farming or cooking, are human activities that deserve respect and consideration independently of their "level."

However, a fundamental difference exists that can't be overlooked: Anyone who is ready to admit he doesn't know how to cook and anyone who knows the skills of a great chef. In a footballing environment, on the other hand, it's more difficult for a person who works in other areas (journalist, fan, team president) to respect the role of a manager. And they aren't always able to recognize their talents. Interviews with Sacked Managers

In your opinion, what were the causes of your sacking?

Roberto Donadoni (Cagliari, Serie A):

Until now, I haven't yet understood the reason why my adventure at Cagliari ended. Also because I didn't have a way to speak with Cellino (team president) any further and I received communications only from the director of sport, Marroccu. It's evident that it came as a personal choice of the president.

What would you change in your behavior to prevent the sack?

In my case, it's really difficult to respond. Not having understood the sacking, it is difficult to say to what extent I would change anything. Let's say that I had an idea of the president from the outside that didn't correspond to reality once being inside of the situation.

From the interviews, it emerged that a manager wasn't always clear about the reason for his sacking. And above all, almost never made a true self-critique by looking to understand how he could have prevented the situation.

Translator's Note

The author interviewed a variety of managers from youth ranks to Serie A. He asked the same two questions to each manager.

From a "Drama" to a "Stimulus."

A sacking does not place your economic earnings at risk.

You can calmly affirm that getting sacked is not a DRAMA.

2. Writing Style

Image credit: FC Sudtirol.

Rastelli wrote about a somewhat taboo topic; however, he does so with conviction, precision and objectivity. He is also very concise which makes this a quick, yet educational, read. The author cited facts and statistics to provide a very detailed analysis instead of only "Half of all Italian top-flight managers were sacked."

Rastelli also provided a rare look at how contract law affects, and in many cases stringently binds, professional football managers to their respective clubs. His descriptions in this area were great examples of technical writing. Part Five, where he interviewed "the sacked class" of fellow Italian colleagues, remains one of my favorite elements of this thesis.

You will also find a review about Carlo Ancelotti's excellent book on tactics. There are excerpts from a factual novel about Gaetano Scirea along with Francesco Totti's humorous yet historical guidebook on ancient Rome.

6. Featured Review

Image credit: Nation Books.

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